Tanking, need some advice?

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I play a lvl 20 GLD, this is my first real try with an MMORPG.

I play with my partner who is a healer, and we communicate well about what's going on through dungeons.

The problem for me, however, is that I'm easily overwhelmed by mobs, by the speed that the DPS jump in (which often leaves me without enough aggro to hold them on me), and then the difficulties switching between targets to rebuild that aggro.

Does anyone have and advice for:

- Getting over the DPS rushing ahead
- Getting more self-assured
- Building enmity as quickly as possible
- Good low-mid-level combo strategies
- Methods for marking (who first, etc)

Also, am I right to always favour protecting the healer? At the point that my effort to hold a mob is shaken I always default to protecting the healer, and let the DPS have their way with the stragglers they've aggrod in spite of my effort.

Is it also normal to have to fight tooth and nail to keep aggro off of DPS?

[Thaliss]

Hi and welcome

- Rushing DPS : let them die, it's the only way
- Getting more self assured : just communicate, tell what you know and don't know. People will help you out.
- Building enmity, well you are only lvl 20 so you lack all the tools. Higher level player will give you combos but still it s a combination of single target combos and flash at your level

As for marking, go for casters and healers mobs first or to mobs with very dangerous skills. Doing content you will recognize them

Save the cheerhealer save the world, be a heroe!
It's team work, ask healer to go to you if they get aggro, but managing aggro is everybody's job.
Some fights you can let dps have their way, others you have to save them too.

Until Brayflox (lvl 32) it will be rather simple.

[JeniLinsky]

Start with shield lob as you're moving toward the mobs. After you've moved into the scrum, flash twice. (With flash, two is one; one is none). Then do a fast blade -> savage blade combo, flash again, and finish the rotation with fast blade -> riot blade combo. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And yes... prioritize protecting your healer over protecting your DPS, if you can't do both.

[valho]

DPS rush, let them tank it, some simply doesn't learn until you let them tank it and die, or just tell them not to run ahead.
Practice and know your skills, having good knowledge of the dungeon helps like best way to pull, to avoid patrol, etc
Know your combo, at level 20 it's not much
I usually mark the mob that hurt most, range mob is a pain since you can't really pull them to you, so what you do is you can pull melee mob to the range, just don't accidentally agro on patrol.

Healer comes first, DPS let them take care of themselves. If the DPS is geared and level sync yes you might have some problem holding agro, not always but it happens. If DPS starts pew pew pew right as you shield lob before even having the chance to do your combo, it's the DPS fault.

[JeniLinsky]

Also, there's some good reading in this thread and this one

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Thanks for your replies, Thaliss, JeniLinsky and valho!

So consensus on DPS who don't follow my lead is to let them do as they do, and focus more on what I can do? That's good to hear. A lot of the stress came from scenarios like this:

Shield lob > Run in > DPS run in and attack > flash x2 > Aggro starts to wane and I start switching from target to target using Fast Blade + Savage Blade to build aggro.

I'll definitely take that advice to heart, JeniLinsky. That seems almost to be what I try to do at the moment.

It usually goes: Shield Lob > Flash x2 > Fast Blade > Savage Blade > Fast Blade > Riot Blade + Shield Bash depending on the situation.

Speaking of Shield Bash, is it worth continuing to use? I tend to use it more against the bosses for it's stun benefit.

Thank you all!

[Meenesfeja]

At level 20 I found it a bit painful to hold aggro against sync dpses ^^ It will however become easier at level 26.
Protecting healer is the first priority if he is not only casting medica all the time (which generates such threat that idk what should be done at level 20 to hold mob off that kind of healer).
Do not worry about dpses who hit the wrong target - either switch to that target or let them tank it if they cannot follow markings. It is a good idea as glad/pld to mark enemies (at least have 1 marking on your bar and switch it to next mob when first mob is at 10% health). Be careful about sleeping - just use flash on those targets.
I usually mark "annoying targets" like mobs who do frontal cones, do a lot of damage, doesn't have too much health, do aoe or is ranged. After doing dungeon a few times, you will feel those potential targets also
Also - you may find useful to switch between targets after you have built enough aggro on one. That will help you see which mobs are about to be pulled (by healer most usually) and I tend to put savage blade on such mob (usually lowers healer enmity about for a half).

And most importantly: try to relax and enjoy the game

Edit: Do not try to stun bosses too much - they build up resistance to it

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Also, there's some good reading in this thread and this one

The first thread link is so informative! Already some things are becoming clear, thanks for this useful set of tips!

I knew that fast blade didn't aggro, and that was a headache for me due to GCD. The time it took to set up the savage blade combo was grueling, and I lost time on getting enmity because of it. I didn't realise that cutting straight to Savage Blade or RoH (when I get it) would still build enmity (albeit with less damage).

[JeniLinsky]

Shield bash is a mixed blessing. It's very expensive (TP 150), which, in a longer fight can lead to you being out of TP. The stun effect is subject to diminishing returns (first bash stuns for 3 seconds, second interrupts but doesn't stun, third doesn't stun or interrupt). On the other hand, it's a decent hit, at potency 110, and there are times (like the Manor Maidens at Haukke Manor) where you really need that interrupt. So keep it on your crossbar, but don't lean too heavily on it.

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Thanks Meenesfeja! The healer I play with uses Physik (sp?), not medica, at this time, so it's safe there.

I'm lucky to have my healer in the same room as me when we play together, haha. She alerts me *before* I lose aggro that I'm losing aggro, which gives me the impetus in time to switch targets in her defense. I lose aggro most often to DPS. If I lose it to the healer I can get it back quickly and easily. It's nearly always the DPS that strip it back, and it's usually because I haven't had the chance to build enough aggro. Or, actually, from what I've now read above, it's probably more that I haven't built enough enmity quickly enough because of unnecessary time delays due to combo-ing from the get-go (Shield Lob > Flash x2 > Combos as opposed to going straight to savage blade straight away.)